Don’t Believe Everything You’re Told, says Melinda at one green generation.
Ten Reasons To Grow A Four-Season Organic Garden
- Growing your own food reduces the distance your food travels from the farm to you (10 feet, say, versus 250-2,500 miles). That means you’re eliminating the petroleum products used in farming equipment, fertilizers, pesticides, packaging, storage, and transportation.
- By reducing the distance your food travels from the farm to you, you also reduce your overall carbon output, taking a bite out of your impact on climate change.
- In the winter when most farmer’s markets close up shop, you’ll still have fresh, tasty produce.
- When you grow your own food, you also know where your food is coming from (no weird salmonella strains in your tomatoes and spinach, for instance).
- Home grown food tastes many times better and has more vitamins and minerals than vegetables raised in a monocultural setting.
- You can choose to grow various heirloom crops that you just can’t buy in a grocery store.
- You can choose to grow crops that aren’t genetically modified.
- You can save seed and create different varieties that are best suited for your little backyard microclimate.
- Knowing how to grow your own food makes you much more adaptable to whatever economic or environmental hardship that comes your way in the future.
- And lastly, it’s fun, it tastes better, and gardening nourishes your soul.
When To Plant Fall and Winter Gardens
- Plant in early to mid-summer for a fall garden.
- Plant in the late summer and early fall for a winter garden.
Obviously this is a general rule of thumb. Some of you in the lower hardiness zones will want to be planting your winter gardens asap – yesterday even. I know I sound like a broken record, but seek out your local Master Gardeners and get your hands on a planting schedule for your area. It won’t be perfect, but it will be a general guide for you.
Then find out your average frost date. You can find this in the Farmer’s Almanac, or a good local nursery, or farmers in the area. When you find this out, you will know the date at which – more or less – your winter crops should be matured. You can work backwards from that date, looking at a seed packet for the “dates to maturity.” If your seed packet doesn’t tell you, a good gardening book will (see references in Part 2).
For example, if your first frost date is October 15th, and you’re planting something that needs 30 days from seeding until maturity, you’ll want to plant it at around September 15th, maybe a bit later depending on how warm your fall days are. But having said that, don’t be afraid to experiment and see if you can get more out of your garden – if it’s September 15th and your seeds don’t mature for 60 days, try planting a few anyway – they’re just seeds! Alternatively, you can plant seedlings from a nursery and gain at least 2-3 weeks.
Good Fall and Winter Crops
Root vegetables: carrots, radishes, beets, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas
Greens: kale, chard, spinach, mustard greens, collards, Asian greens (eg, bok choy, mizuna), arugula, radicchio, lambsquarters, mesclun lettuces, orach, sorrel, endive
Brassicas: brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi
Herbs: oregano, marjoram, basil, cilantro, parsley, chives, fennel, and any perennial herb
Others: Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), scallions, leeks, peas, celery, celeriac, bush beans, fava beans, garbanzo beans, oats
Fruits: There also some fruits that are harvested in the winter, like apples, pears, persimmons, and citrus fruits. But you’ll need to plant these in late fall, winter, or early spring.
Summer Crops: Almost every summer crop can extend into November, if you live in a temperate climate. Tomatoes, tomatillos, winter squash, berries, beans are all good candidates for fall season extension.
Over-Wintering and Cover Crops: I’ll reserve these for another post. Over-wintering crops are ones that are planted in the fall, are then left well-mulched over the winter, and become your first crops of the early spring. Cover crops are those that protect the topsoil from rains and snow, and add nutrients to the soil – either through their roots or when dug into the soil in early spring.
Note: this is by no means a complete list – if you have other suggestions, please let everyone know in the comments. And do forgive my loose taxonomy.
An excellent article. There are plenty of things that many of us can start planting now, for xmas crops and to get a good start for next spring.
